Renovating, decorating and creating in an 1867 Pennsylvania farmhouse.

Tuesday, February 23, 2016

Farmhouse Living Room

Here is our newly repainted and refreshed Living Room! It seemed to take forever for me to get this room done but I must say I am very pleased with the way it all turned out! I didn't really make any major changes to it, it is the same furniture and lay out as before. I had just grown tired of the grayish white color that I had painted this room a couple of years ago and once I decide I don't like something anymore I can't make it go away fast enough. Plus once I get my wheels turning I can't rest until I get the room the way I have it in my head.

The color it was before was a cooler white and I wanted to make the room feel warmer but also lighten it up some so I chose Behr's Cottage White, one of my favorite whites. I plan on doing a post about whites in the near future because I get soooo many emails from you guys about choosing whites. This white can be almost creamy at times and is very soft, because of the high ceilings in this room I didn't want to go with a pure white.

Another challenge in this room is the pot belly stove chimney (behind the couch) that I am always working around. I plan to remove it at some point but I am into enough projects at the moment so it will have to wait for now. It was crumbling as I painted it though and boy was it hard for me not to just grab my crowbar and go at it. But since it is here for the time being I decided to just work with it and hang all of our family photos around it. We don't have a single hall-way in our farmhouse and this is just about the only wall that is big enough for them all.

I repainted the big step-back cupboard that Neal built us (far wall) Glidden's Crisp Linen White. This is a new white for me and I can't say that I love it. I thought I would try some new whites out since you guys are always looking for the perfect one. It might just be the light in this room but I am not in love with the Crisp Linen White, I was hoping it would be a hair creamier looking. It photographs well but in real life is a bit lackluster for me.

Neal built us a chimney style cupboard for all of our DVDs (back wall behind couch on the left) and I painted it Behr's Antique White, it IS one of my favorite whites on the other hand. This is the color I painted the living room of our last house and I still love it.

The cupboard I have on the table beside the couch is in as found condition, wonderful as it is.

I made the couch slipcover from drop clothes a couple of years ago and it isn't perfect but it is way better than the floral pattern underneath. As for the pillows on the couch I wanted a very simple, comfy and collected look.

I was on the search for some soft linen pillow covers with some old fashioned touches but couldn't seem to find any that were quite what I was looking for so I just made my own.

To make the pillows I mixed store bought linen with ticking and lace edging. I always wash the linen first so that it gets that antique linen look and because it usually shrinks a little. I always buy my linen from the remnants bin at JoAnn Fabrics, it ends up being a fraction of the price of the stuff right off of the bolt.

I bought some grain sacks on ebay to make into pillows but I couldn't bring myself to cut them, they are just too gorgeous plus I love having the option to use them different ways. To create a square pillow cover from one without cutting it I just put a feather insert inside and folded the grain sack over twice.

And I was so excited to find the extra long antique ticking pillowcase on Etsy, to say I absolutely love this thing would be an understatement. And of course I put a white quilt underneath them all.

This is usually the couch I sit on if I want to watch a movie by myself or work on my blog so I always have a tray of candles on this table. The one corner of this room that I don't show in the pictures is where the TV is so you won't be seeing it but I have a few plans for that area....don't tell Neal:)

On a recent antique shopping trip I bought another bushel basket, what can I say I love these things. they are rustic but yet so pretty.

The cupboard that Neal built me from an old window also got a new coat of paint. I painted it Better Homes and Gardens Antique White and changed the handle.

I continued the same trim color as the rest of the house into this room...Glidden's Swan White.

I swapped out the curtain I had on the door with a simple linen panel that I made. For the days that I want the sun to come in I can tie it back.

I moved the little cupboard door from the dining room onto the mantle for some height and flanked the fireplace with our two slipcovered chairs.

If you are a long time follower you know that I found this mantle for $25 at a salvage/junk yard and that it is not original to our farmhouse. Since it is just decorative there is no brick or anything behind it and the empty space inside the mantle box bugs me. Hopefully someday we will turn this into a working chimney but in the meantime I think I want to do how I did in the family room with the vertical boards inside. However, this room was taking me so long to finish that I wanted something fast and easy for the time being so put textured wall paper inside the space.

My mom bought me the awesome rusty bucket for my birthday and I was just waiting for the perfect place to put it.

I hope you enjoyed seeing this room! Let me know if there is anything that you would like to know about that I didn't cover!

We are making slow but steady progess with the dining room reno....hopefully pretty soon I will be able to do a camera shot from this room looking into the dining room. I know one of the things that I want from a blog are wide angle camera shots that really give you a sense of the space and I try really hard to do that for you guys. For now I will just give a you sneak peek....

Your posts are always so wonderful. I am slowly trying to declutter my home to add more of the farmhouse look. One thing that has me stumped is what to do with the TV. Our TV is not very large, but it still doesn't look right in the room. Do you have any suggestions? Thanks for all your hard work to help us.*Smiles*

This is such a lovely room - I love all of the texture and how there is always something pleasing to the eye to look at. This room is so cozy and peaceful. I have been so inspired by your decor and am slowly incorporating farmhouse style into my home - it has taken me so many years to finally find a style I truly love.

It's all so adorable. I do want to see how you get the T.V. issue resolved. I feel like I've decorated around the T.V. our whole married life. I love the tray on the coffee table. The handles on it are too cute.Lovely room.

Just trolling through pinterest and saw pics of your house and read about how the hole in the mantle bugs you :D I was wondering the same thing, when I've seen other faux fireplaces pull it off and don't know why! Then I thought-would a quick solution be to fill it with beadboard, or a chalk board! or paint the wallpaper a different white than the walls? (The textured wall paper doesn't come across on my phone)

good luck! I know what you're feeling, I hate it when something is just off in my space too! I can't wait to figure it out and fix it! I have a real fire place that I'm trying to seal up, hehehe

The combination of various white colors paired with the dark wood floor is a really powerful combination that has a really strong impact on the visual presence of the room. It makes a bold statement, whilst still retaining the rustic atmosphere. If you're looking to learn about the psychological effects of color, this is a perfect demonstration of how to make a BIG impact with a small cosmetic palette

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Hi Megan! I am new to your blog and I love it. I am an artist and I can vision that faux fireplace painted inside. Real brick or painted faux brick, and a grate with nice big logs.....they can be real or a painted simile to look like a real fire going! I wish I lived closer.....I would do it for you if you wanted it!

Hi Megan! Was just catching up on some of your posts I missed. I was wondering about the room with the large white cupboard and white painted floors off your living room. I know you've shared that cabinet but wasn't sure what that room is designated for in your home. It looks like the front door is just between that room and your living room but I didn't notice a door on it. You're home is just beautiful and feels so rich with history. Very welcoming and cozy! Well done!

Hi Jana! Yes we actually have 3 front doors, one of them is in the room you are talking about. That room is a small square room connected to our bedrooms and bathroom and living room. It is basically just a storage area, my husband has made the one whole side of it into a closet. It was actually a kitchen when we bought the house as our house had been converted into two residencies at one point in time. We have big plans for that whole area hopefully sooner than later!

Hi Megan! I just discovered your blog and I truly think you have one of the most beautiful homes I've seen. I am remodeling and redecorating my home and I'll be using your paint colors and style, but I have white wood floors and I'm not able to refinish them right now to the dark floors that really age the house and offset all the white. Any ideas or tips on getting a farmhouse look with white floors so the house doesn't look too white?Thanks!!